Lee University's Lady Flames play for NAIA crown

photo Lee University coach Marty Rowe, shown during an exhibition game at UTC, will lead his Lady Flames in the NAIA national final tonight.

Two free throws by All-American Hollie German with 3.7 seconds left lifted the Lee University women's basketball team to a 43-41 win over fellow Tennessee team Cumberland University in the NAIA Division I tournament semifinals Monday evening in Frankfort, Ky. The Lady Flames (34-2) will try to add to their school record for wins and gain the program's first NAIA national title tonight at 6:30 against Westmont of California, which beat nationally top-ranked Freed-Hardeman 59-49. Lee, which has four NAIA national titles in women's soccer but no others, is leaving the NAIA this summer for NCAA Division II. Jenna Adams had 16 points and 12 rebounds in Monday's win -- her 16th double-double of the season -- while German scored 13 points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field but 6-of-9 free-throw success. The Lady Flames shot just 13.6 percent from the field (3-of-22) in the second half -- after overcoming an early 9-2 deficit and leading 26-20 at the break -- and 26.5 percent for the game but gritted out the victory with tough defense led by usual by Rachel Lockhart. Cumberland (33-3), losing for the first time in nine all-time meetings with the Cleveland school, shot just 28.8 percent and had no player score in double figures. The Bulldogs' leaders were London Elie and Briannica Tye with nine points apiece. Lee also led in rebounding, 42-35, and each team had 16 turnovers. Cumberland took its first lead of the second half at 41-40 on Simone Ryan's three-point play with 1:57 to go, but German hit a tying free throw at 1:36. She was fouled again while the Lady Flames were playing for a final shot and made both shots. Tugce Canitez and Esther Lee each scored 19 points, Canitez with nine rebounds and three steals, in the subsequent semifinal win for Westmont (29-4). Natalie Shumpert had 13 points and four assists and Maria Bagwell had 10 points and eight rebounds for Freed-Hardeman (34-2).

Auto Racing

• Ossie Newcomb from Knoxville won the 4.70-second class at the Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip last Saturday night with a 4.70 run in his 1969 Camaro SS powered by an alcohol-injected 640-cubic-inch Chevrolet engine. That was good for $5,000. Ron Clark from Rockmart, Ga., was second in his 1998 Mustang, also in 4.70 seconds. Cody Haygood of Dutton, Ala., won the $1,500 Super Pro top prize in a Chevy dragster with Scottie Walters of Whitwell second. John Robinson of Chickamauga won the 5.70 class in 5.70 seconds with Chattanooga's Jim Nash the runner-up, and Heath Littrell won the 6.00 class in a 1970 Monza with Jim Brackett second. Mark Dempsey was first in a '69 Chevy and Dennis Smith was second in the 7.00 class. David Bigham won the Foot Brake class with Jeff Montgomery second, and Fort Payne's William Kilgore was the motorcycle victor on his 2010 Kawasaki. Mattie Keener of Dunlap was the Junior Dragster winner with Georgetown's Justin Moore second. The night included more than 100 competing vehicles and the biggest crowd in years.

Lacrosse

• Sewanee had three of the four Southern Athletic Association lacrosse players of the week for matches of March 11-17. Sewanee's Hal Smith was the men's defensive player of the week and teammate Michael Morris was the offensive honoree for their work in a close loss to Kean and a win over SAA rival Centre. Morris totaled five goals and four assists. Smith won nine of 15 faceoffs against Kean and 20 of 29 against Centre; he also collected 10 ground balls. Sewanee freshman goalkeeper Sammy Strasburger was the SAA women's defensive player of the week for the second time already after her 13 saves in a win over FDU-Florham.

Baseball

• After a 9-6 TCCAA loss Friday at Roane State in which the host Raiders took advantage of three errors for seven unearned runs, the Chattanooga State baseball team beat Roane 9-1 and 15-5 on Saturday behind pitchers Tyler Troutt (5-1) and Colton Kinnamon (3-1). Aaron Wright went 4-for-4 with a home run and two doubles in Saturday's first game for the Tigers (21-6, 7-2) and homered also in the finale, when Casey Mannion also homered and matched Marquis Webb with four hits. Mannion and Zach Lance had three hits apiece Friday.

Track & Field

• Signal Mountain High School junior Preston Elwell finished fourth against more than two dozen college athletes in the Morehouse College Relays javelin competition Saturday in Atlanta. Elwell, competing unattached, had a throw of 156 feet, 9 inches.

Golf

• Sewanee freshman Emily Javadi from Chattanooga and Baylor School tied for seventh individually in the Jekyll Island (Ga.) College Invitational golf tournament this past weekend, while her team finished 12th against a strong NCAA Division III field. The Tigers wound up ahead of SAA rivals Berry, Oglethorpe and Millsaps, and Alison Eleey joined Javadi (238) in the top 20 with a 242, tying her for 16th.

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